Getting to Know You
by moonswirl
Summary: Gleekathon, day one thousand and seventy-seven: Quinn is caring for Beth and Joanie while Shelby is on her honeymoon, and Puck and her get to look after them. - Sam & Nell series, see inside


_Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 51st cycle. Now cycle 52!_

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**"Getting To Know You"  
(Sam &) Nell, Rachel - Quinn, Puck, Beth, Joanie...  
Sam & Nell/Samchel series  
(A/N: The series will be picking up instances of the now ended Shelby & Beth series,  
as well as the Quinn/Puck storyline that was advanced through both)  
_(all series now listed under the communities tab in my profile)_  
**

When Rachel showed up with Sam's daughter perched in her arms, she swore she wasn't there to check up on them. Quinn trusted her, although the quickness with which she felt the need to express this…

When Shelby had come to her with the proposition, she'd been equal parts anxious to agree and apprehensive. To look out not only for Beth but for Joanie would be a task on its own, without the fact that Beth was her daughter. In the past weeks, Shelby had been so good in letting both her and Puck get to spend time with Beth, and it was starting to show. The girl recognized them now, and to see the smile on her face when she did… It had no price. Quinn hadn't known what to expect of all this, but it had actually been so great, which in and of itself could end up a problem. She had to remind herself that, no matter what, at the end of the day, they may have created her, Puck and her, but Shelby was her mother, and Emmett was her father. As difficult as it could be, that was one lesson she had to keep teaching herself.

So, once she had cleared it with her mother, she had said yes, and just like that she was about to welcome the two girls into their home for the following two weeks. Joanie, from what she'd hear, had long lobbied to stay at boyfriend Alex's house, but as good and rule-abiding as they were, her father wouldn't let it happen. She was happy enough to get to stay with Quinn, though in the beginning there was something of a sour face to chase away. Beth was already sleeping when they were dropped off, so after she'd been settled in, Quinn had decided to summon Joanie into the kitchen.

"What's the policy on ice cream at this hour?" she asked, producing a tub from the freezer, and Joanie's face twinged.

"In case of emergencies," she nodded, and Quinn got hold of a pair of spoons.

"Sit down," she indicated a stool, taking a seat as well. The tub was opened and they dug in.

"Thanks," Joanie told her, with a mouthful of mint chocolate chip.

"My big sister used to do this with me whenever I'd get upset about something. Can I tell you a secret?" Joanie nodded. "Kind of always wanted a little sister to do this with… So how about it? Want to be little sister for a night?" Joanie laughed and nodded. "So then… Sis…" she smiled. "What's with the frown?" Here Joanie had told her about the botched Alex-bunking situation, and Quinn thought it out, taking another scoop. "Thing is, you are getting older, and… I can tell you from experience… As much as your father loves you and trusts you, it's going to get harder for him not to believe that… one thing may lead to another…" Quinn explained.

"But I'm fourteen, I'm not going to…"

"I was fifteen when I got pregnant with Beth," Quinn cut in, and it quieted Joanie quick. "Sixteen when I had her. I didn't plan for it… just sort of happened," she bowed her head.

"Oh…" was all Joanie could say.

"Look, all I'm saying is I know where he's coming from… He just loves you. You're lucky to have him," Quinn gave her a smile.

"I know," Joanie breathed. They continued digging in for a minute or so in silence. "I wouldn't mind playing little sister for a couple of weeks…" she mentioned innocently.

"You just want more ice cream," Quinn smiled, reaching for the chocolate sauce. Joanie's eyes turned to saucers.

"Well, sure, but… not just ice cream, I swear," she gave a genuine smile, and Quinn returned it… She'd be more than happy to.

The next morning, Puck had shown up bright and early. Judy was out, Joanie was sleeping, so it was just her and Beth, as she fed her. The moment was so quiet and simple, she'd gotten lost in it. Puck had texted her that he was on his way, and she'd just missed it, so when the doorbell rang she was startled and Beth was, too, looking about.

"Someone's here, want to see?" she hummed, picking up the agitated girl. She settled easy once Quinn had a hold of her, something she still wasn't used to. She went to answer, and there she found… "Puck…"

"Didn't you get my text?" he asked.

"Sorry, must have missed it," she told him, passing Beth over. He made a face and the little one laughed. "I was just giving her breakfast, want to take over?"

"Sure," he looked back to Beth. "You hungry?" he asked the blonde and she made a noise. "Yeah, let's get you some food," he told her, and he could see the voice was amusing Quinn, even if she'd hide it. They got to the kitchen where Puck sat with Beth on his knee, pulling her bowl over. He got started feeding her, and Quinn sat with them. "So… what are we doing today?"

"I don't know, didn't really think it through," she explained. "Any ideas?"

"We could take her to the park, she liked that," he suggested.

"We could," Quinn smiled, remembering the day they had met there, when she'd told him about Shelby's new arrangement with them… That was the first time he'd kissed her, the first time since before… Looking at him, she knew he was remembering it as well. Since then, they had been going forward, though not too fast, not this time.

"Hi…" a sleepy Joanie had come dragging her feet. Quinn had snapped out of thought and got to her feet.

"Morning, look who's here," Quinn looked to her, curls all in shambles. Joanie's eyes finally opened enough for her to make out faces, and when she saw Puck, she woke up proper, gasping and running out. "She'll get changed," Quinn translated.

They had spent the day together, the four of them. they'd gone to the park, as decided, then to the mall, before returning home. Puck had stayed until Beth had been put to bed. At the door, Quinn had stopped him for a kiss goodbye, watching him go.

Joanie and Beth had been with the Fabrays for a week the day Rachel had come calling with Nell in tow. Quinn had told her about their week, as Joanie did. They would take it easy, not necessarily seeking an outing on every day. The regular life of having her there, it had helped as she would have hoped, for her and Puck both to know their daughter even if she wasn't theirs to keep. It was the unknown that made it hard. They had known her, for all of hours and then she'd become someone else's, become Shelby's, and knowing she was out there, it was complicated… But now they were getting to know her as a little girl with a family all her own, and the divide was real… They had things in perspective, and that was more than alright.

The two weeks gone, Shelby and Emmett had come to pick up the girls. The first morning without Beth there, Puck had shown up bright and early, and he'd asked if she wanted to go out, spend the day. He could see right through her, through missing having her there. That didn't matter. She still accepted, because if she was honest, she knew she needed him.

THE END

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******A/N: This is a one-shot ficlet, which means that signing up for story alert will not bring you any alerts.  
****In the event of a sequel, the story will be separate from this one. And as chapter stories go, they are  
************always clearly indicated as such [ex: "Days 204-210" in the summary] Thank you!**


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